After three decades of hoping, 10 years of training, and at least 12 hours preparing his spacesuit, Zhai Zhigang is expected to make history in just 20 minutes tomorrow as the first Chinese astronaut to do a space walk.

As a schoolboy he wrote that he dreamt of "fly[ing] into outer space so I can get a good look at Earth". With the spacecraft in final orbit, he is now on course to realise that ambition - taking his country one step closer to building a space station and even landing on the moon.

All that remains to be seen is whether he and his fellow astronauts actually utter the words magically ascribed to them in advance by the country's official news agency. Hours before they left the launchpad yesterday, Xinhua had published a long and detailed account of their journey, complete with an in-craft dialogue between the astronauts and dated September 27 - today.

"First-level measurement arrangement!'" one section of the report began.

"After this order, signal lights all were switched on, various data show up on rows of screens, hundreds of technicians staring at the screens, without missing any slightest changes ... one minute to go! Changjiang No 1 found the target!"

For anyone wondering whether to trust further reporting on the subject, the authorities have promised that the space walk will be screened live this afternoon.

Millions watched last night as Shenzhou VII blasted off from the north-western province of Gansu.

Yesterday it shifted from an oval to a circular orbit, 213 miles above the Earth. Xinhua said the change would ensure the Earth's gravitational pull would not vary during the space walk attempt, and would allow for smooth operation of the ship's instruments.

But Wang Zhaoyao, space programme spokesman, said: "One of the main features of this mission is that it involves great risk ... [namely] the execution of the space walk."

One astronaut - almost certainly Zhai - will leave the orbiter module to retrieve scientific experiments placed outside and release a satellite that will circle the orbiter and send back images. A colleague in a spacesuit will wait inside for backup.

"The worst-case scenario for me is becoming a real spaceman - that is, never coming back again once I get out of the spacecraft," the China Daily quoted Zhai as saying before take-off. "But the chance of that happening is zero per cent."

The space walk is an important step towards the creation of a space station.

The chief designer of the Shenzhou spacecraft said that China would speed up production of the next generation of vessels, which would be used to transport astronauts and cargo to an orbital platform.

Amid the celebrations, China Daily spared a thought for the eight fighter pilots who have endured a decade of gruelling training, but will never reach outer space. They studied 58 subjects, trained underwater for hours at a time and underwent demanding tests while strapped into a giant centrifuge.

They saw their families only at weekends, could not eat outside the training centres and had to hide their identity.

"Everyone wants to fly, but only a few get picked. Sometimes the wish has to give way to the fact," said Zhai, who was passed over for the first two space missions - in 2003 and 2005 - before being picked to head this one. His generation will retire shortly, with the next round of selection taking place after this year's mission is complete.